The family of Kurt Jackson, a six-year-old boy with the learning age of a six to twelve-month-old child, is fundraising to buy a safe bed and sensory equipment to increase his quality of life.
Kurt was diagnosed with autism when he was two and has a severe learning difficulty, meaning he has very limited understanding and is completely nonverbal. He requires 24-hour supervision for his own safety, as he as has no awareness of any danger and has a special needs buggy which he always needs to be in when he is out for his own safety.
The biggest struggles for Kurt’s family are keeping him safe in the home and his sleep. He has a maximum of three hours a night and when he wakes up, he needs constant supervision, or he gets out of bed and walks through the house with no awareness of what he is doing, so his parents take turns to be awake with him. He shouts through the night which affects the whole house and won’t stay in his room unless someone is with him to keep him safe.
Kurt’s parents are trying to get a special bed which will keep him safe during the night but lack the funding to do so, so are being supported by The Bradley Lowery Foundation to raise the £15,000 needed for the bed and other sensory equipment.
Louise, Kurt’s mum, said: “Kurt struggles with everyday life if he isn’t in a strict routine. He has huge meltdowns that last for hours and constantly shouts and screams through the day because he can’t communicate with us. He can’t cope with new faces either and gets angry and lashes out.
“He’s double incontinent, so has no awareness of when he needs to use the toilet and he can’t express when he’s hungry or thirsty. We can’t even go out properly as a family and do things his two siblings may want to do.
“We survive on empty most days, but he is our baby, and we will do what we need to help him.
“The bed will be a safe space for him and will stop him climbing out and potentially hurting himself. Having sensory equipment in the room for Kurt will keep him occupied and will be designed to hopefully help his drift back off to sleep naturally, when he wakes up during the night.
“We are really grateful to the Bradley Lowery Foundation for supporting our fundraising campaign. With its support, 100 per cent of donations go to Kurt to make his room a safe space and give our family the support in needs.”
Gemma Lowery, CEO of the Bradley Lowery Foundation, said: “It’s hard for any multi-child family to cope when one or both parents is sleep deprived, especially when looking a child with special needs.
“The special bed that Kurt needs costs thousands of pounds, and we’re glad to be able to step in and help Kurt’s mum and dad raise the money they need to make sure he’s safe and settled at night, and to give them a well-earned rest. The peace of mind the bed and sensory equipment will provide is priceless.
“We’ve set up a JustGiving page, and we’re covering the fees so any cash will go directly to Kurt, so we’d like to encourage anyone moved by his story to donate yourself or hold a fundraising event to give even more. The sooner we hit our target, the sooner Kurt can get a good night’s sleep.”
The Bradley Lowery Foundation was established in memory of Bradley Lowery, who passed away following a fight with Neuroblastoma in 2017. Since then, the Bradley Lowery Foundation has raised more than £3million for dozens of poorly children across the UK; established a dedicated support line for the families of children with cancer; donated over £200Ks to researching childhood cancers and campaigned for new drugs to be introduced in the UK.
For more information and to donate to Kurt’s safe space, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/asafespaceforkurt